Walking For A Healthy Back?

Scientists who have studied the architecture of the spine have
concluded that it is meant for walking. This may come as a surprise
since we humans do very little walking these days. Over the millennia,
our lives have moved from days filled with walking and searching for
food to a largely sedentary existence. A good amount of us spend the
bulk of our day working at a desk, and inactivity has become a major
problem to our spinal health. It has been shown that prolonged sitting
increases the pressures in the disk and leads to decreased strength of
the spinal and leg muscles.

Among those who do not sit all day,
they instead engage in heavy and repetitive lifting tasks. The heavier
the loads we lift, the greater is the risk for spinal degeneration.
Whether it is heavy lifting or sedentary life, the effects are the same:
low back pain.
Low back pain (LBP) has now become an epidemic in society. Depending on
which study you look at up to 90% of us will experience low back pain
at some point in our lives.

A study of adolescents in Norway
showed about 57% had back pain in the past year. We tend to think of our
children as immune to back troubles, but the statistics show otherwise.
Back pain seems to start in adolescence, and follows us into adult
life.

When comparing LBP with activity levels, researchers report
there is an inverse relationship. This means that the less time children
spent at the computer or watching television, the less likely they were
to report back pain. Walking and other forms of physical activity
decrease the occurrence of back pain.

In a study of adults with
LBP who engaged in regular low-to-moderate exercise, such as walking,
researchers observed that patients who exercised had improved mood,
reduced need for physical therapy, and used less pain medication. They
also tended to have less work disability.

The positive effects of walking continue into old age. Those who walk regularly show less lower body disability.

There
was a time when medical doctors thought bed rest for two weeks was a
good treatment for patients with low back pain. However, over the past
two decades, multiple research studies have shown this prescription will
actually increase your low back pain.

Whether you have back
trouble or not, it is important to stay active, and walking is one of
the best ways to keep you pain free. You don’t need a gym membership to
do it—just some comfortable shoes. Physical activity lowers your risk
for back trouble, and is also the best activity to engage in during
rehabilitation following an injury.

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To locate a Doctor of Chiropractic who has taken The ChiroTrust Pledge, google "The ChiroTrust Pledge" and the name of a town in quotes.

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This information should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. Any and all health care concerns, decisions, and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a health care professional who is familiar with your updated medical history.